Category: Public Relations

University of Missouri assistant professor Melissa Click was filmed calling for the removal of a student journalist covering a student protest. On that November 9th day, Click’s life changed greatly. She became a national celebrity in a negative manner. The video went viral and Click became a symbol of those who express hostility toward the first amendment.
The fallout from the incident resulted in Click being suspended from teaching pending an investigation by the University of Missouri System Board of Curators, She has been hit with a misdemeanor charge of third degree assault, which can be voided if she performs community service and avoids trouble for a year.
After being silent for three months Click has launched a public relations campaign orchestrated by the public relations firm, Status Labs.
Status Labs is a multi-faceted reputation management company. They can enhance a person’s, business, or organization’s online fingerprint by practicing image management.
Status Labs can help companies grow their brand and increase sales. If s client has a damaged reputation, Status Labs can launch a campaign to repair it.
Of the incident at the protest, Click has this to say:
“The words that came out of my mouth came out of the dark crevices of my brain. I didn’t mean to be the cause of violence. I can’t defend the way I handled the encounter. I’m embarrassed by it.”
Click hopes to be judged by her 12 years of teaching and having a positive impact on campus life.
The incident happened on a day when student protests over the treatment of black students resulted in the resignation of Missouri’s president and chancellor.
Unfortunately for Click, a second negative video of Click’s behavior during another student protest surfaced. This resulted in a lack of support from the school’s interim chancellor.
It will be interesting to see if the team at Status Labs action will rescue Click from the firestorm surrounding her.